Govt to submit bill next week on procedure for removal of Parliament members

Attorney General Ahmed Usham states that his office is working on submitting a bill declaring the procure for removal of Parliament members as early as next week.

The bill follows contentious anti-defection clauses written into the Constitution in 2024 that empower political parties to unseat parliamentarians.

The constitutional amendment in question was submitted, passed and ratified in quick succession in November 2024. It added three more circumstances where parliamentarians will lose their seat. They are:

• If a parliamentarian resigns from or is dismissed or expelled from the party that they were elected on behalf of
• If a parliamentarian switches parties or is dismissed or expelled from a party
• If an independent parliamentarian joins a party

At a press briefing on Wednesday afternoon, Usham said that his office has drafted an amendment to the Political Parties Act, setting down the procedure for removal of parliamentarians.

“We decided to submit a bill to amend the Political Parties Act following the amendment to the Constitution regarding circumstances where members of People’s Majlis forfeit their seat. This amendment is necessary to set down the procedure for removal of members of People’s Majlis by political parties,” he said.

The contentious constitutional amendment stipulated that parliamentarians must be removed in accordance with “the law”. However, so such law was enacted.

Usham said that his office had kept a pin on the bill until the Supreme Court issued its judgement in the constitutional case challenging the anti-defection provisions.

The court delivered its judgement on April 29, deciding there was no basis to annul the provisions as requested.

Usham told reporters on Wednesday that the purpose of the amendment to the Political Parties Act is to protect the rights of parliamentarians in situations where parties initiate their removal, and to establish a clear and strong policies for the process within a legal framework.

He described it as a key measure to further enhance the country’s political system.